Plug it In!
Posted by admin on Monday, July 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment
No, I’m not talking about the ‘air-gap’ error that occurs when the device isn’t plugged into the power source. Today I’m talking about Plug Ins for your Internet Browser. Whether you use Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome, there are lots of ways to get additional functionality for your browsing experience. There are many categories of these add-ons, ranging from visual enhancements, such as different themes, to Security and Privacy related tools.
One example of the use of an add-on in Firefox, is the security related ‘No-Script’ add on. This can help protect your computer from executable content that can run from web sites (Where a large percentage of infections can come from).
There are so many tools out there, which can help you save time, or access information of interest to you. The best way to explore them is just to dive in. Here are some links to more information on Add-ons for three of the most commonly used Browsers.
Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
Internet Explorer: http://www.iegallery.com/us/addons/default.aspx
Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore?category=ext
Laptop Security
Posted by admin on Monday, June 6, 2011 · Leave a Comment
I just had to put on the song ‘Going Mobile’ by the Who while writing this. Though I seriously doubt there was any correlation to this article at the time this song was written. But in today’s world mobility is a part of lives, bot work and personal. And this means the dependance and utilization of mobile devices such as Laptops, Netbooks, and Smart Phones. But with freedom, comes responsibility. By having access to information from virtually anywhere, and the ability to carry our data with us, comes the increased risk of that informatino being compromised due to loss or theft. What are you doing to protect your laptops when out of the office?
Here are some tips to help keep your laptops secure while out of the office.
-Keep it with you. Don’t check it in as luggage, and always keep an eye on it. Avoid setting it on the floor, as that’s an easy way to forget about it or lose track of it.
-Don’t leave your password information with the laptop. I’ve seen people with notepaper with all of their credentials in the side pocket of their laptop bag. That’s like leaving your keys in the car door.
-Use something other than a computer bag to carry your laptop. Don’t make it obvious that you have a laptop with you, or draw attention to it.
-Use a laptop security device. There are programs that can help trace a computer’s whereabouts, and they are usually cost effective.
-In cases of highly sensitive information, consider encrypting the data on your hard drive. Again, there are programs out there designed to secure your information by encrypting it. The data can not be read without the right ‘key’ to open it.
-Use a screen guard to help someone from seeing your screen. The will limit the range of visibility, so that peepers can’t lean over to read what you are working on.
-Put your name and contact information on the laptop. The odds of getting your laptop back can be increased by putting your name and contact information, and perhaps offering a reward ‘no questions asked’ will increase the likelihood of getting a lost laptop back.
Pass the Word
Posted by admin on Monday, May 23, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Okay, So I admit, that’s a little bit weak for a headline, but trust me, keep reading, this is good.
So everyone has a password or two. Or, if you are like most people, you probably have about a dozen places that require a password. Do you use the same password for most of these sites? Well that’s a big no-no. Relax, I’m not judging….I know I’m supposed to call my mom on a regular basis, but let’s not get into that. But there are better ways to password protect your access to information.
First, let’s look at the most commonly used passwords. If you use any of these passwords, you might want to consider making a change.
-Password
-123456
-qwerty
-letmein
-Monkey
Now, let’s take a look a look at some password guidelines.
-Password length should be around 12-14 characters if permitted.
-Avoid using dictionary words, letter or number sequences, usernames, pet names, birthdates, etc.
-Include numbers and symbols in your password If allowed by the system
-Use upper and lower case letters
-Avoid using the same password for multiple sites or purposes
-If you write your passwords down, keep the list in a safe, secure place
Now I can imagine that many people reading this list may feel like these guidelines are not realistic. And that’s where the following tips can help you out.
-One suggestion is to simply combine two words with a random character or number in between.
For example, I could use some of the letters of my first and last name with a spelled out number.
Chrthreekai
From there, I could add capitalizations and special characters if I wanted.
-The method that I like to use though, is to create a memorable base word or phrase that you can remember. Once you have that, you can then add information about the site or account to it to create a strong password. Here’s an example:
Create a base: tqbf692 (that’s the first letters of The Quick Brown Fox, and a number sequence that I can remember).
Now let’s take that base and apply it to some common uses:
Email: yaHootqbf692, or YMtbqf692
Facebook: faCetqbf692, or FBtqbf692
Work Mail: mYCompanytqbf692, or WMtqbf692
You can also use the following symbols for most systems for passwords: ~ @ # $ & *
Once you create your system and start applying it, you can have memorable passwords that meet the guidelines for best practices for secure passwords.
Safe and Happy Surfing!
Should I Stay or Should I Go Now.
Posted by admin on Monday, May 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Okay, so that’s a little misleading, but it sounds better than “Should I turn it off or leave it on?”. I doubt the Clash would have had a hit with the later question. Regardless (not irregardless), this is a question that still comes up a lot: Should I turn my computer off at night or just leave it on? And like with most good technology related questions, there is a simple answer to this: It depends.
The first thing to consider is to identify whether or not there are processes that need to run at night. For example is there a backup that needs to run either local or off site? These can’t run if the computer is off. Does the computer act as some sort of Server for a network, perhaps sharing files, or an application or database that other computers depend on? If it is, then maybe it’s better to leave that computer on. Many network administrators will schedule updates, patches, scans, or audits of computers at night, so be sure to check with whoever manages your computer systems. If you don’t have someone, then you have to make those decisions yourself, or….I happen to know a guy…..but I digress.
For many years the debate about this has continued. Some people said that turning on and off your computer frequently led to stress on the circuitry, and a shortened life span of a computer. Others argued that the slight power surge when booting a computer was insignificant to the power consumption savings gained by shutting systems down. I think that most people would agree that today’s computers are built better, and less susceptible to the ‘wear and tear’ of rebooting. And many computers and monitors have energy saving processes built into them, such as turning off when not in use.
Which brings me to another comment; Consider looking at your power settings for your computers. If you go into Control Panel (windows), then Power Settings (You may need to change from category view to small icon view), you can see what your computer behavior settings for power are set to. For example, many computers are set to turn off the monitor after 10 minutes of no use, and turn off the hard drives after 30 minutes. This doesn’t shut your computer down; it just turns off what isn’t being used in order to save energy.
You can even put your computer to sleep when you aren’t using it, and you don’t even need to sing a lullaby. Sleep is a power saving state for your Windows computers. It saves all open documents and programs, and stores them in a state that can be quickly restored when you turn your computer back on. You can click on the Power button on the Start menu or click the arrow next to the Lock button, then clicking Sleep.
There are definitely money saving results by shutting your computers down at night, and there are some fancy online calculators that can help you identify potential savings. As with most tech topics we review, it just takes a little time and consideration to think through WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE FOR YOUR ENVIRONMENT. With that, I think I’ll put my computer, and myself to sleep now….zzzzzzzzz
Gesundheit!
Posted by admin on Monday, May 9, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Gesundheit!
That means “To your Health!”, though most of us probably think of sneezing when we hear this. I’ll let you draw your own line between this and today’s topic: Cleaning your laptop screen.
Regardless of the source, I’m sure that all of us at one point or another, have had to clean our laptop screen. Again, because there is a chance my mother could read this, I won’t go into any details about what may need to be cleaned off, or how it got there. The key here, as with most things, there are best practices on how to do it the right way.
Here are a couple of suggestions to follow:
Cloth: Use a microfiber cloth to clean your screen. If that’s not an option, at least use something that’s soft and lint-free, such as an old t-shirt or rag (cotton). Do not use paper towels or even facial tissues. These can contain wood particles, and can damage the screen.
Solution: Current recommendations are discouraging any use of any ammonia based solutions. Instead, simple distilled water can do the trick. Or you can make a vinegar and water solution (mixing in a 1:1 ratio) to use as a solution for cleaning your screen.
Wipe: Be careful not to press to hard, particular on any one part of the screen. Use an even amount of gentle pressure across the whole screen. Too much pressure can damage the screen permanently. Using small circles can be an effective way of wiping the screen.
Tips: Here are some additional things to consider.
- Tap water may leave mineral spots
- Do not spray any solution directly on a laptop, always put solution on a cloth first
- Turn off your laptop before cleaning
- Lens cleaners or other solutions my contain alcohol (or isopropanol) should not be used.
There are many cleaning kits available on the market for this as well, and can be found at your local office supply store, or maybe even optical or camera store. Just a few minutes of time can keep you seeing things clearly…..Gesundheit!
Organize your e-mail with Rules
Posted by admin on Monday, May 2, 2011 · Leave a Comment
I’ve been on a big kick about this lately, mostly because I see so many people buried in a mountain of e-mail in their inbox. I’ve spent countless hours of my own just staring at messages over and over again. While looking at ways to make my time in my e-mail limited and more efficient, I thought about how to automate some message organization. Most e-mail programs have the ability to automatically perform tasks, such as moving messages when they arrive, based on certain criteria. For example, I subscribe to some industry related newsletters. But rather than have those messages go into my inbox, I create a separate folder for them to be moved to until I can read them. Then I create a rule to move any of the newsletter messages into that folder as they are downloaded. Another benefit is that this helps me to evaluate whether or not a newsletter e-mail is beneficial or not. If the folder starts to accumulate with unread messages, perhaps it’s not of enough interest for me to continue subscribing to it.
Another example, might be managing multiple e-mail accounts. More and more people are managing multiple e-mail accounts, both personal, and professional. Having your e-mail to specific accounts automatically moved to different folders can help keep messages more organized. Or perhaps you would like to automatically forward messages from someone to a different account, or to a colleague. You can even request a unique sound be played when you receive a message from a specific person. There are many options for automatically organizing your e-mail.
I would recommend that you take a moment to review how your e-mail is currently organized. Are there opportunities to group or categorize your mailbox items? Look at what messages you receive on a daily basis; are there any patterns in how you process your e-mail inbox? For more information, I have included two links with instructions on how to create message rules, both for Outlook and Mac Mail.
http://macs.about.com/od/usingyourmac/qt/mailrules.htm
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/manage-e-mail-messages-with-rules-HA010355682.aspx
Picture This!
Posted by admin on Monday, April 18, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Have you ever wanted to show someone else something that’s on your computer screen? Maybe you’ve been on the phone and have caught yourself pointing at the monitor, as if the person on the other end of the phone can see what you are pointing at? Of course you haven’t, but maybe someone you know. Well, there are ways to take a picture of what’s on your computer screen, to share with others. And it doesn’t even involve using your camera phone. There are many different software programs and techniques for doing sophisticated video movies of your screen images, and mouse and keyboard actions, but today, I’m talking about simple screen capturing techniques built in to your operating system. Read more
The shortest line between two points? A Shortcut, of course.
Posted by admin on Monday, April 11, 2011 · Leave a Comment
We are all looking for ways to save time, and to be more effective, right? At least I know that I am trying to use my time wisely. Maybe it’s getting older; I prefer to think of it as getting ‘wiser’. For many of us that spend a significant amount of time at the computer, we can benefit from using shortcuts to make our time at the computer more efficient.
I think many of the shortcuts that I take for granted, aren’t as widely appreciated as I might think. Take for example using Ctrl + x, then Ctrl + v, to cut and paste information. It’s an easy way to move information between or within documents or applications. There is also the method of using Alt + Tab to toggle between open windows. Instead of using my mouse to click on File, then New, I can even use Ctrl + n to open a new document, or create a new e-mail.
More advanced users may frequent the F keys at the top of their keyboard. Most commonly the F1 key will bring up an additional Help window. F3 can be used to initiate a search function. Also there are many opportunities to use the Windows key as well. For example, using the Windows key + E will quickly open Windows Explorer for you, or using the Windows key + m will minimize all windows on your computer to get you to your desktop quickly.
Below are some links to some great resources for additional shortcuts. I would also suggest that you look at what you do frequently on your computer. Pay attention to the menu items that you are frequently clicking on. Notice the underlined letters. You can use these letters with the Alt key for keyboard access. Also, you may see the shortcut commands to the right of the menu you are on. Try using those keyboard combinations to get to those tasks to save time.
http://www.computerhope.com/shortcut.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/compshortcuts.mspx
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1343
http://www.worldstart.com/the-big-keyboard-shortcut-list/
Remote Access Tools
Posted by admin on Monday, April 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Let’s face it, our world has changed. The lines between work and personal life have blurred. Few people clock out at 5:01 and don’t think about business until 8:00 am the next day. Information is exchanged around the clock. But hopefully we can make technology work for us, to be more efficient with our time. Recently, while talking with a friend about their business, he commented on how much he uses remote access tools to access his business computer while he is away from his office. I thought I would take a moment to comment about some of the tools available.
Windows Remote Desktop Connection: Built in to Windows Operating systems, this tool takes some configuration on your network, but is easy to use once setup. http://www.techtipsgeek.com/access-computer-remotely-remote-desktop-connection/5746/
Web Based Remote Tools: Log Me In, and Go To My PC provide easy to use tools, for any level of technology comfort. With both free and paid accounts, anyone can easily sign up, install the software, and access your computer from anywhere. http://www.logmein.com – http://www.gotomypc.com
VNC: Open Source Software is available for those with a little more interest in diving into the configuration of remote access options. Free to use, there are many different flavors of VNC software available to consumers. Real VNC – http://www.realvnc.com and Tight VNC – http://www.tightvnc.com are two of the most commonly used distributions for this type of solution.
Team Viewer: While I have not personally used this tool, I had to include it based on the recommendation by some of my peers. It has gotten some great reviews, and has a good base of support and utilization. http://www.teamviewer.com
Multiple monitors: Not just for gamers and nerds anymore
Posted by admin on Monday, March 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment
I have yet to meet someone with dual displays on their computer that is unhappy with the effect. I’ve used two 19” LCD monitors for a long time now, and I would be really hard pressed to change to a single monitor, even a gargantuan one. I could give so many examples, but really, the efficiency gains are amazing. Even the simplest process of copying data (Ctrl + C) and pasting it into another application or document (Ctrl + V) is so much faster with two monitors. How about: Being able to look up information on one screen, while typing in the other: Comparing versions of documents: Collecting data, while summarizing that data in a spreadsheet: Advancing songs on your playlist and quickly returning to your work.
Upgrading to two monitors can be a fairly simple process. Many entry level video cards have the ability to support two monitors (and several can be found for around $75). Also, there are lots of deals to be had on LCD monitors as well. Just be sure to pay attention to the inputs (and outputs of the card) to match the type of signal (VGA or DVI, typically). Of course there are adapters to convert the signal to handle that issue as well.
For those who don’t want to install hardware into a computer, but still want the benefit of two monitors, there are USB to VGA (or DVI) adapters available. While not the highest performing devices, these are one of the most cost effective/simplest ways to achieve the results. For most of these adapters, you simply connect it to an open USB port on your computer, install the drivers (automatically done in most cases), connect the monitor, and voila: Configure your two displays and go.
This is a great way to increase productivity, particularly if you find that you are switching back and forth from multiple applications on a regular basis.
